1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to lampshades for recessed lighting fixtures and particularly to lampshades for recessed lighting fixtures that are flush mounted to the ceiling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recessed lighting fixtures have been in use for several decades. These fixtures, often called “cans”, are placed in the ceiling. They are secured to the ceiling joists and display their light through a hole in the ceiling material (e.g., plaster or drywall). Typically, these fixtures may have a diffuser placed on the ceiling to give the fixture a finished look, to conceal the internal structure of the fixture, and to diffuse the light. Even with the diffuser, the light from these fixtures tends to be focused in a narrow area and can produce glare.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a typical prior art ceiling fixture 100 is shown. Typically, the fixture has a mounting arm 101 and wiring box 102 and a reflector body 103. The reflector body holds a reflector type light bulb 104. The bottom of the reflector body is designed to rest against the top of a ceiling 105. A diffuser shied 106 may be installed to hide the interior of the reflector body and to help soften the light from the fixture.
There is not much that has been done to change the design style of these fixtures beyond their basic purpose. One change uses special connectors to convert the fixtures into pendent lights. In these cases, the light bulbs are brought down into the room and are covered by a decorative shade. An example of such a device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,591,675. Other Examples are found in U.S. Patent Application Nos. 2007/0127234, and 2007/0014118.
Another idea is to add a shade below the fixture. And example of this design is found in U.S. Application No. 2009/0310370. This is a design that attaches a small diameter shade that hangs down from the ceiling. It is flush mounted to the bottom of the ceiling. While it does help the problem of glare, it does have a few problems. First, it has a mounting system that is based on small brackets that are supposed to attach to the fixture with small bolts. Although feasible, the spacing of the brackets is such that it makes it rather difficult to install the shade. It requires working in close quarters with small tools, working overhead. This makes installation difficult. Moreover, because of the attachment design, the diameter of the shade is restricted. It appears that the shade is only slightly wider that the original fixture itself. This does little to remove the problem of focused lighting. Although it does bring the light somewhat more into the room, the small diameter of the shade still creates a “spot light” feel from the fixture.